Bang Bang, You're Dead - extended version
by cathff
Summary: An expansion on my one shot by the same name... Chase-centric, the aftermath of the shooting in S2
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own House MD. I'm just playing with it's characters!**

 **Hope you enjoy - I'm in the process of editing and am posting chapters as and when they're ready.**

The diagnostics team at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital are getting ready to leave, having cured their latest patient and sent them home, and none of them are paying much attention when the gun man walks into the room. Foreman is virtually out of the door and Cameron and Chase are just packing up their bits before following suit.

"Which one of you is Dr House?"

Chase jumps at the voice and turns to see House watching the intruder, one eyebrow raised.

"Skinny brunette," House tells him.

The man grins though there's not a trace of real mirth in his smile. "No, that's Dr Cameron."

"I'm skinny. How do you know her name?" House asks, his tone a little sharp though he's clearly trying to play it cool.

"I was a patient of yours."

"Oh well if you want to leave the chocolates downstairs-"

The first gunshot is the loudest thing that Chase can ever remember hearing. His ears are ringing slightly, partly from shock and his eyes are wide as he stares at House, who is now on the ground with blood pooling around the wound in his stomach. At almost exactly the same time the three fellows make a move to rush over to House but the gun man waves his weapon in their direction.

"Stay! Stay away from him!" he shouts, looking crazed now.

Chase falters but then lunges forwards again and is stopped by his two colleagues grabbing his arms.

"Don't be an idiot, Chase," Foreman says in his ear, his hand vice like around Chase's bicep. Cameron seems to holding on almost as tightly and Chase doesn't try to struggle away.

The man looks down at House, sneering at him. "Shocking, isn't it? Who'd want to hurt you?"

The sound of the second gunshot cuts through Chase and for a brief, ridiculous moment he thinks it's him that's been shot, but as the man starts to run Chase pulls himself together and hurries over to House. He gets there first, falling painfully to his knees and pressing his hands to the second wound in House's neck. Cameron is there a second later, trying to stem the flow of blood from House's stomach and Foreman is bellowing out the door of the office for help.

It feels like years could have passed by the time there are voices behind Chase, asking him and Cameron to move out of the way. Cameron does as she's asked but Chase can't move. He can't take his hands off the wound, can't look away from House's unconscious body.

"Dr Chase! You need to step back!" one of the new arrivals shouts at him but Chase still physically can't move. He feels as though he's been paralysed and the only thing he can do it press his hands against House's neck. A moment later there's hands under Chases arms and he's being lifted away; he struggles, shouting something but the person is stronger and pulls him right over to the sofa, sitting him down and keeping firm hands on his shoulders.

"Chase, calm down man!"

Chase recognises Foreman's voice and he looks up at his colleague.

"Jesus, I didn't think you even liked the man!" Foreman says though his attempt at being light hearted is undermined by the very slight wobble in his voice.

Chase looks down at his hands, bright red and still wet with House's blood and feels sick. "He shot him," Chase says stupidly, his stomach turning.

Foreman looks worriedly at Chase. "You're in shock. You should get a drink and just... sit for a bit. I'll get you some water." Foreman goes over to the sink and fills a glass from the tap.

"He shot him!" Chase says a little louder, and he stands, swaying before someone grabs his arm - it's Wilson, but Chase hadn't even noticed anyone coming into the room.

"What happened?" Wilson asks in a hoarse voice, gently guiding Chase back into a seat.

"House was shot. Twice, once in the stomach once in the neck," Foreman says, telling him quickly and efficiently exactly what had happened as he passes Chase the glass of water he'd got him.

"Jesus. Do you know who it was?"

"Patient of ours apparently. I don't know, it all happened so fast I didn't really recognise him."

"House told his wife he was cheating on her," Chase says dully after a few sips of the water. He can remember the man - he has a surprisingly good memory for all of their patients. "I need to go help, they might need me," Chase says, trying again to stand but he's stopped once more by Wilson.

"Chase, you're shaking like a damn leaf. You're not going to be any help to anyone in this state," Wilson tells him. "Sit."

Chase tries to pull away from Wilson but the oncologist has a strong grip on his arm. "Get off me!" Chase exclaims, struggling against him. "I need to go, House is... I need to help, he's, they shot him, House got shot he might die – he could be dying!" Chase is aware that he's becoming hysterical but he can't seem to help it. His breathing is getting ragged and uneven and far too fast and he keeps on talking, not even sure what he's saying any longer. "Let me go, please – I need to go and find House, please let me go I need to go he could be dying and-"

"Chase!" Wilson shouts trying to snap the younger doctor out of whatever this is. "You need to calm down!"

Chase shakes his head and struggles harder. "Let me go! Please, I need to go and help House." He's crying now, great big sobs that are wracking his body and make breathing even more difficult.

"Chase," Wilson says more softly. "You're hyperventilating. Come on – calm down and just breathe. Take a long, deep breath and hold it." Wilson has managed to push Chase back into a sitting position now but Chase either can't hear him or won't listen.

"I'll get a sedative," Foreman says quietly, watching his colleague falling apart with a sick feeling in his stomach. He's never seen Chase like this - he's usually so calm and collected and this is just... scary. It's freaking Foreman out more than House getting shot did.

Wilson nods and continues talking to Chase trying to get him calm. "It's okay Chase. House is going to be okay. But you need to calm down or we're going to have to sedate you. You're in shock, I get it but you're hyperventilating. Just breathe – come on, try to breathe with me. In-"

Nothing Wilson says can get through to Chase, and despite feeling that it's wrong, they have to sedate him. He barely seems to notice as Foreman sticks him with the needle while Wilson holds him as still as possible but slowly his words start to quieten and slur together and the fight goes out of him. Wilson lies him gently down on the couch once he's out and the two doctors just stare at him for a few long moments.

"I'll get a gurney," Foreman says. "We'll find him a room then go and see how House is doing."


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks later, House is discharged from the hospital after being told multiple times how lucky he is to be alive. Chase has been in his room one of those times, and the look on House's face says quite clearly that he's not sure he agrees. Chase is glad, though. He'd have to find a new job if House died – the diagnostics department would be lost without him. They're not currently taking new patients, although that might change now that they can call House for consults without getting the nurses on their backs for disrupting his recovery. That's the reason Chase gives for being so relieved House is okay, anyway. He's certainly not going to admit to anything else, like _caring_ about his bastard of a boss. He doesn't even know if he does, really – has no idea what his little scene after House was shot was all about. He's incredibly embarrassed about it and avoids Foreman and Wilson as much as possible but unfortunately the latter seems to be actively seeking him out to check how he's doing and just generally keeping at least one eye on him at all times.

Thankfully Foreman at least seems as eager to avoid Chase as Chase is to avoid him, and when they're together both doctors act as though nothing happened. Cameron had taken a few days off after House was shot, although she had spent most of that time in the hospital, sat at House's bedside reading, or just watching him. It was a bit creepy really, in Chase's opinion. He and Foreman had continued working – Foreman offering neuro consults and Chase working in the NICU, taking comfort in the tiny, helpless babies that were in his hands. He supposed that it should stress him out further, being so responsible for the lives of someone, but it had always been something that calmed him down. Babies were easy and they didn't judge him if he had a moment of weakness when he thought about House getting shot and didn't quite manage to bite back a sob.

Chase has also spent a lot of time helping out in the ER and he's there with another doctor – Dr Peterson, Chase thinks his name is, though he hasn't been paying the other man a lot of attention – when several ambulances arrive at the same time, dropping off multiple patients. He hurries over to the nearest gurney that's being pushed through the door by a pair of paramedics, Peterson behind him, and helps move the bed along.

"What have we got?" he asks, cool, calm and collected as always.

"GSW to the chest," the paramedic says. "We lost her twice in the field and once in the ambo – she's had two units of blood already and we had to intubate."

Chase stumbles slightly at the description of her injuries, but rights himself quickly and nods. "Right. We'll take it from here." He takes over from the paramedics, pressing his hands down hard on the gauze covering the wound and trying not to think about the last time he'd seen this much blood outside of a human body. Peterson takes the bag, pumping it steadily to keep air filling her lungs.

They get the bed into one of the trauma rooms and transfer the patient – a young woman, who looks like she's barely in her mid twenties – onto the bed. She's unconscious and Chase checks her pulse as a nurse hooks her up to the monitors, one of his hands still pressing down hard on the wound. "No heartbeat!" Chase shouts. "We need to shock her!"

It all happens in a bit of a blur for Chase – a nurse hands him the paddles, gel already squeezed onto both and he places them on her chest in a well practiced move. "Clear!" Her body jolts violently when he shocks her, and Chase hears ringing in his own ears as the monitors which are now all on start wailing. Nothing happens, and he shocks her again, and then again and again. Peterson is doing chest compressions between shocks, another nurse still bagging her and there's blood flowing freely out of the wound. If they don't get her back quickly Chase knows she's going to bleed out and he orders a dose of epinephrine and for the paddles to be charged once again. He shocks her again and again, ignoring the doctor who is telling him to stop – that it's too late, she's gone and they can't bring her back. When the nurse won't charge the paddles any longer he starts chest compressions instead, alternating between that and bagging her as no one else is helping him now.

"What are you all doing?" Chase bellows. "She's dying! Help me, for God's sake."

"Dr Chase, you need to stop," Dr Peterson says once again, putting a hand on Chase's shoulder.

Chase shakes him off so violently that Peterson stumbles back into a tray, spilling it everywhere and ending up on the floor. "You're letting her _die!_ "

"Chase!" Another voice this time and it makes Chase falter slightly and look around – it's Dr Cuddy, looking half sad, half angry. "You need to call it."

"I can't just let her die!" Chase spits, turning back to the patient.

Two sets of hands grab him that time, holding firmly and although he struggles he can't get free. "Dr Chase," Cuddy says firmly. "You need to call time of death and come with me." Her tone gives no room for argument but is somehow still gentle.

Chase pants hard for a moment, then shakes their hands off and peels off his gloves. "Time of death eighteen forty three." He turns on his heel and stomps off across the emergency room, aware that Dr Cuddy is following him.

"Chase – my office," she tells him, hurrying to keep up.

Chase sighs but does as he's told, walking into her office ahead of her.

"What was that?" Cuddy asks.

"I could have saved her," Chase mumbles.

"No, you couldn't," Cuddy says softly, putting a hand on his arm. "She was as good as dead by the time she got here – you know that. This is about House, isn't it?"

To his alarm, Chase feels his eyes filling up with tears and somehow he ends up on Cuddy's sofa with the Dean of Medicine's arms wrapped around him as he cries on her shoulder. He's not sure how long he's there like that, but eventually he manages to pull himself together, pulling away from her arms and scrubbing his face clean of tears before getting to his feet. He feels quite unsteady but he looks at Dr Cuddy, his face once again a calm mask other than his red, puffy eyes.

"I'm sorry," he tells her. "It won't happen again."

"It's okay to be struggling, Chase-" Cuddy starts, but Chase interrupts her.

"I'm not. I'm fine, I'm just tired. I need a good night's sleep then I'll be fine."

"You need more than a good night's sleep, Chase," Wilson says from behind him and Chase jumps because he hadn't heard the door open or close and he has no idea how people in this hospital have got so damn good at sneaking around. "I heard what happened, figured you might be here," he explains, taking a few steps towards Chase but when the younger man backs away a little he stops in his tracks.

"Well you can all stop worrying about me. I'm _fine_ ," Chase insists. "I have to go," he adds and he turns on his heel and flees the room before anyone can say or do anything to stop him.

Cuddy looks at Wilson, who's standing near the doorway still, hands on his hips in his signature pose. "I'm going to have to do something, aren't I?" she asks in a resigned tone.

Wilson comes over to sit next to the Dean. "He needs help. He needs to talk to someone – he's just been acting like nothing's happened at all but that's at least the second meltdown he's had."

"How are Cameron and Foreman doing?" Cuddy asks.

Wilson has been keeping an eye on the whole department for the last week or so, though his main focus has been on Chase. "They seem okay, but I'm not sure how much of it is an act. Cameron wouldn't leave House's bedside while he was unconscious – that's not really normal behaviour. Foreman's acting like he couldn't care less, and I don't know if it really is an act or if he actually doesn't care. I know he doesn't like House, but he saw him get shot, right in front of him. That's got to affect you, hasn't it?"

Cuddy nods, looking thoughtful. "I'm going to speak to them. I'll give Chase a little while to cool down. He seems… volatile at the moment."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day Dr Cuddy calls all three of House's fellows into her office. They'd all been hanging out in the disused diagnostics office and had trooped down together, discussing what the meeting was going to be about. At least, Cameron and Foreman had been – Chase had kept his head down, having an inkling that he already knew what Cuddy wanted to talk to them about. And he's right:

"You need to talk to a therapist – all of you!" Cuddy adds, seeing Cameron and Foreman both look straight at Chase, who's studiously ignoring all of them, focussing hard on his shoes and hoping that he's not blushing as much as his burning cheeks would imply.

"That's ridiculous, there's nothing wrong with me," Foreman protests, with a very pointed emphasis on the word 'me' and a sidelong glance at his two colleagues.

"Or me!" Cameron adds, glaring at Foreman now. "We're not the ones who freaked out about a patient dying."

"You'll all speak to a therapist and you won't work anywhere other than the clinic until you get cleared for practice!" Cuddy says loudly and firmly. "This isn't a discussion, or a negotiation! I know you've all been around House for a long time, but I am the Dean of Medicine and you do in fact have to do what I tell you to! The three of you went through something incredibly traumatising and I need to hear that you're all fit to continue to practice medicine without putting any of your patients at risk."

"Why is it okay for us to work in the clinic, but not treat other patients?" Cameron demands – she would never usually speak in such a sharp manner to the Dean of Medicine but everyone has been treating the three of them like they might break since the shooting, and they're all well aware of it. She knows that Cuddy won't say anything about her tone.

"Because frankly the clinic is constantly understaffed and I need the three of you in there. And because House was right – the job _could_ be done by a monkey with a bottle of Motrin, but until someone can arrange that, we're stuck needing doctors in there."

"Dr Cuddy, there's nothing wrong me," Chase says, far more calmly than either of the other two had spoken, turning his cool blue eyes on her and smiling just a little.

"I disagree, Dr Chase," Cuddy says, looking sympathetically at him. "I'm sorry, but you went through a traumatising experience. You need help and until you get it I'm not convinced that you're not a danger to your patients!"

"What?! That's not fair!" Chase exclaims, no longer quiet and calm. He's well aware that she's only really speaking to him although she's going through the charade of sending the whole team to see a shrink. "How am I a danger to anyone?!"

"If you think I'm wrong then all you need to do is convince your therapist of that," Cuddy tells him. "If they clear you for work, I won't argue."

Chase grinds his teeth furiously but he doesn't say another word as he storms out of Cuddy's office, slamming the door closed behind himself. He seethes as he walks across the clinic to the nurses' station, grabbing a patient's file at random and calling out the name on it. If Cuddy thinks she can break him with the threat of interminable clinic duty, she can think again.

"You think this will work?" Wilson asks Cuddy as they both once again sit in her office. They've been watching Chase going in and out of one of the exam rooms, calling new patients in each time.

"He's too like House – he won't last a day with nothing but clinic duty," Cuddy says confidently.

Yes – Chase is far too like House. Incredibly stubborn and not very good at doing things for his own good, Wilson thinks but he wisely chooses not to voice that opinion to Cuddy. "Okay. Well I have patients to see. Let me know if you need anything."

Foreman and Cameron both go to therapy sessions – willing to do that much to get back to treating proper patients, especially now that the diagnostics department has started taking on cases again. Foreman is cleared after just two sessions – something that really annoys the other two – but then Cameron is cleared after another two. Chase continues to work in the clinic, refusing resolutely to speak to anyone about what happened as he tells patient after patient to go home and take some Tylenol for their headache, or drink hot tea and lemon to soothe their sore throat. He spends his free time in the diagnostics room all the same, listening to Cameron and Foreman as they work on cases and chipping in wherever he's able, although they completely ignore all of his suggestions. Cuddy had given them strict orders not to bend the rules even a little, so when Chase comes up with what they believe is a good idea, one of them will casually bring it up a minute or two later.

It half amuses and half infuriates Chase – he knows that they don't exactly have a lot of choice; if Dr Cuddy discovered that they were letting him participate in differentials they'd end up suspended if her threats were to be believed. It's better than nothing, anyway, and he still feels like it's a small victory, even if it's one which is completely ignored by everyone.

Wilson spends even more time trailing around after Chase, trying to talk to him and persuade him just to talk to the therapist. He even offers to speak to Cuddy and get her to change the deal so that if Chase talks to Wilson or one of his colleagues about what happened he can go back to work. Chase doesn't want to talk to any of them, though – they're don't understand him or even really like him as far as he can tell, and he doesn't have anything he wants to talk about. He keeps on insisting that he's fine and they all keep on insisting that he's really not. Chase figures that as soon as House is back he'll be able to find some way to force Cuddy into letting him join the team again. House isn't going to want to be a minion short and he thinks even less of shrinks than Chase does – there's no way that he'll make Chase talk to someone about his _feelings_. He just has to last a few more weeks in the clinic – plus he spends half his time hiding in diagnostics now anyway. If he stopped to think about it, Chase might realise that he's becoming more and more like House by the day, but he doesn't.

He knows what people think, though. Their whispers and glances follow him down the corridors and across the clinic and he's heard words like 'unstable' used to describe him. Everyone has started to treat Chase like he's made of glass, and it's really starting to get on his nerves. As a result he's started snapping at people more and more, another House trait he doesn't think about. When it's clear that his angry outbursts are making matters worse, Chase just stops speaking to anyone altogether, ignoring everyone that tries to talk to him. The only people he talks to are the clinic patients, and even then it's only to get their symptoms out of them.


	4. Chapter 4

The day that they're told that House is coming back to work, Chase goes and sits in the diagnostics office with Cameron and Foreman. He'd made the effort to go home and actually wash his hair and put on clean, ironed clothes rather than something that's been squashed at the back of his wardrobe. He doesn't expect there to be any problem at all in getting House to clear him to work again, but he wants to make it as simple as possible. Looking like a homeless person definitely isn't going to help his case and Chase has to admit that there's been the odd day when that's probably exactly how he's looked.

"You know you're still not allowed to be here," Cameron tells him, smiling irritatingly at him. "House being back doesn't make a difference."

"Technically, no. But once he's forced Cuddy to clear me, then it will." Chase grits his teeth but otherwise ignores the snort that comes from Foreman.

Cameron and Foreman fix him with identical expressions – the one where it's clear that they think he's deluded, or worse. He's been getting that one quite a lot lately. "I'm not sure it's going to be that easy, Chase," Cameron says gently, reaching out to put her hand on his where it's resting on the table, but he pulls back before she can and glares fiercely at her.

"Will you stop talking to me like I'm six years old and I just lost my favourite teddy? I'm. Fine. The sooner everyone realises that, the better."

"Hey, don't speak to her like that," Foreman cuts in, speaking up for once. Usually he just tends to stay out of things like this, but he always seems to be oddly protective of Cameron despite never having shown any sign that he particularly likes her. Then again, Foreman doesn't actually seem to like anyone – except himself, Chase thinks and grins to himself. "It's not funny!" Foreman exclaims, misreading his expression. "You can't start being a dick to everyone because you're fucked in the head and refuse to get any help!"

"Foreman," Cameron says, both looking and sounding appalled at what her colleague has said. "That's not helping," she says in the sort of hushed tone you might use in a funeral home.

Chase rolls his eyes. "I don't give a damn what you think, okay? House will be here soon and then you'll see. Until then just shut up and leave me alone." He grabs the paper that Foreman had been reading and turns to the crossword, chewing on the end of a pen as he scans over the clues. He resolutely ignores the other two even though he can feel their gazes on him.

Ten minutes later, House walks into the diagnostics office, dressed in his usual jeans, t shirt and jacket and walking unaided. There's no sign of his cane and Chase resists the urge to stare at his boss, knowing that it'll just piss him off.

"Let's start with the cute paraplegic," House says by way of greeting.

Cameron, however isn't going to let his sudden reappearance go so easily. "Welcome back!" she exclaims.

Chase finds himself getting to his feet, grinning. "Hey."

"You look…" Cameron starts, pausing as though she's trying to find the right word.

Foreman helps her out, looking surprised. "Healthy."

Chase gives House a light slap on the shoulder then a split second later regrets it and awkwardly looks anywhere but at his boss, who is giving him a very strange look.

House continues as though no one else had spoken, though. "Quad with no broken neck – struck me as odd."

Cameron gives a delicate huff of exasperation. "Uh, you could take a whole two minutes to ease into being back."

"Taken a whole month to ease back, eight weeks is the maximum rehab time for a gunshot wound to the stomach and neck. So, go." House goes over to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water, unscrewing it and taking a mouthful.

"We heard they never found the guy. There's no new leads?"

Chase smirks slightly to himself as Cameron just refuses to drop it, and studies the patient's file, looking at the symptoms for any clues pointing towards a diagnosis. He has a feeling that House already knows – or at least thinks he knows – what's wrong.

"What – you think he might have shot this patient too? Would explain her symptoms…"

"Could be MS," Chase says, looking up at House, who has the faintest smile on his face.

"See? It's not so difficult," House says to a very downcast looking Cameron. "It's not MS. Wait – why are you here?" he asks looking back at Chase and frowning.

"Uh, I work here?" Chase says, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

"You're not cleared to treat patients. Cuddy will have my ass if she knows you're here."

Chase frowns – he'd been so sure… "I'm not treating any patients. And that's such a load of crap, can you talk to Dr Cuddy – tell her I'm fine. I don't need to talk to a therapist. And since when do you care about doing what she says?"

"I don't. But Wilson also won't buy me lunch for at least a week if I don't stop you. And no, I don't think I can."

Chase glares at him. "Why not?! Don't tell me you agree with all this shrink nonsense?"

"Not really, no." House smirks at him. "It's just really fun annoying you."

Chase stands where he is for a few long moments, his fists clenched and breathing hard out of his nose before he turns and storms out of the office, leaving the other three doctors there. He goes down to the clinic and grabs a patient's file – almost walking straight into Dr Cuddy as he does so. He deliberately makes eye contact with her as he looks up from the file and calls the patient's name – he wants her to know that she's not going to win this.

" _You need to keep an eye on Chase," Wilson told House. "He's not been dealing with any of this very well. Actually, he's not been dealing at all."_

 _House raised an eyebrow. "Chase? Seriously – I'd have thought Cameron would have been the one with the problems."_

" _She was surprisingly okay. Cuddy made them all go talk to a therapist after Chase had a meltdown in the ER – Cameron and Foreman went but Chase refused."_

" _A meltdown? Why do I always miss all the fun things?"_

 _Wilson shook his head. "It wasn't fun. A young woman came in, she'd been shot in the chest, and Chase ended up working on her."_

" _Ah."_

" _She might as well have been DOA, but Chase tried to keep her going. He was shocking her and giving her chest compressions for twenty minutes before Cuddy managed to stop him. He refused to let her go, accused the other doctors and nurses of letting her die. He pushed Peterson over."_

 _House snorted. "Peterson's an idiot."_

" _Not really the point here, House," Wilson said, slightly exasperated. "He was also the worst when you were... when it happened."_

 _House rolled his eyes. "You can say it, I'm not a fragile little kid. When I was shot."_

 _Wilson sighed but didn't comment. "He was hysterical. Foreman and I had to sedate him because he couldn't calm down. He was out for thirty hours."_

" _So Chase is a wreck. What do you want me to do about it?"_

" _Maybe you can talk to him – he respects you."_

" _I don't_ talk _to the kids. They just do things I tell them to."_

" _Well I think you should try. But either way – don't let him work, House. He's confined to the clinic until he talks to a therapist – that was the rule for all of them. You can't just override Cuddy on this one."_

" _Oh don't worry about that. It's going to be way too much fun torturing him to just to let him get his own way that easily."_

After seeing a few patients, Chase has calmed down a little, and he goes back upstairs to see if House is alone. He is, sitting in his personal office and throwing his oversized tennis ball at the wall over and over. House spots Chase and nods him into the room.

"What can I do for you, Dr Chase?" House asks pleasantly, throwing the ball to Chase, who catches it.

"I want you to clear me to work here again," Chase says.

"I've already told you, I can't do that."

"Yeah, and it's bullshit!" Chase exclaims. "I just need to get back to a normal routine, there's nothing wrong with me!"

"I heard what happened in the ER with you and the GSW. I'd be putting patients at risk if I went over Cuddy's head and let you treat them."

"This is fucking stupid!" Chase shouts, throwing the ball as hard as he can at the desk, aiming for maximum damage and that's exactly what he gets; it knocks things everywhere and sends pens and pencils flying before bouncing off and around the room.

"Yeah, that's really convincing me that you're okay, Chase," House says quietly. "Go and talk to the therapist, or go treat snotty nosed patients in the clinic for the rest of your life. Those are your options."

Yet again, Chase storms out of the office but this time he doesn't go down to the clinic – he walks straight out of the hospital and goes to a bar to get drunk.


End file.
